by political editor Paul Francis

County education chiefs have written to education secretary Michael Gove
to express concern about academy schools that refuse to expand to take
in more pupils.

Kent County Council says its job of ensuring there are enough classroom
places is being made more difficult where academy schools are opting to
keep their admission numbers as they are.

The authority's intervention highlights the increasing tensions between councils, which have the statutory responsibility to organise enough school places and academy schools, which are entitled to determine how many pupils they accept.

Michael Gove (pictured left) has said he expects demand for extra places to be met by the natural expansion of popular, over-subscribed schools, many of which will be academies.

However, KCC says it wants guidance from the government about what to do where that did not happen.

It follows complaints from 51 parents in Maidstone, who were not offered places at any of the three primary schools they wanted for their children.

One of the schools in question was an academy and initally said it did not want to expand to take in more pupils, fearing it would affect standards.

It eventually agreed to do so, but KCC believes the government needs to say how councils should resolve similar problems in dealing with a bulge in pupil numbers.

Cllr Mike Whiting (Con), KCC cabinet member for education, said: "If we
come up against schools that do not want to do it [expand] what am I
supposed to do? My issue is that if a group of schools say 'no' If you
are having to control places and plan centrally, what happens? I have
written to him asking for some form of guidance."

He questioned the government's assumption that popular schools would
automatically want to expand, saying many believed their popularity was
directly linked to the fact they were small.

The county council recently revealed it was having to install temporary
classrooms at 18 primary schools this year and said it could have to teach some pupils in school halls if they were not ready in time.

Its own long-term plan anticipates 48 schools enlarging between now and
2017 as it deals with a rise in population that could mean there will need to be the equivalent of 18 new primaries and two new secondaries.

More than 90 of the county's schools are academies with more expected.

They are independent of councils and funded directly by the government.

The Department for Education said in a statement: "Any talk of overcrowding is speculative.

"The Admissions Code Fair Access Protocols are working well. Where there
is a need to admit children, schools work collectively together to ensure this happens as quickly as possible."